Binay on debates
More than three weeks ago after the last presidential debate in Cebu, Vice President Jejomar Binay could not still shake off his disappointment over how the Commission on Elections (Comelec) handled it. Vice President Binay particularly rued the alleged comment by Comelec chairman Andres Bautista that the last presidential debate provided “entertainment” to the people.
The Vice President felt the Comelec chief’s describing the presidential debate as “entertainment” diminished the value of such high-level discussion of national issues and concerns among the candidates vying for the highest elected post of the land. Binay pointed out the presidential debate is a tool for voters’ education and information and not to entertain people.
Ironically, it was Vice President Binay who triggered the tumultuous proceedings of that last presidential debate. The televised debate was delayed for nearly one and a half hours after the Vice President’s camp insisted on bringing documents.
But Bautista stood pat on enforcing Comelec rules disallowing candidates from bringing any documents or notes to the presidential debate.
The most senior among the five presidential candidates, the 73-year-old Vice President told us one of the documents he wanted to present during the Cebu presidential debate is the medical certification of doctors who conducted a battery of tests on his state of health.
Except for ailing Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, the Vice President along with Senator Grace Poe, former DILG Secretary Mar Roxas and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte participated in the presidential debate in Cebu last March 20.
For almost three hours last Monday night, The STAR editors and reporters had a no-holds-barred questionand-answer with the Vice President as solo guest. Binay showed to us his fitness band that measures and monitors heartbeat and number of steps walked. He went up four floors to our conference room and did not stop to rest.
On a comic note, Binay lifted the fitness band on his left wrist to show his “lighter” complexion contrary to his being called “nognog,” pejorative for his dark skin. The skin under the fitness band was lighter as the sunburn from his campaign sorties further darkened his complexion.
The STAR conducts roundtable interviews with each and every candidate, a tradition we first started during the May 2010 presidential elections. Then Liberal Party (LP) presidential standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noy” Aquino III and Binay who was then running as vice presidential candidate for the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) went through the roundtable gauntlet.
Both Aquino and Binay did not only survived with flying colors but they both won in the elections. Binay routed Roxas in the 2010 VP race. Roxas though filed a protest before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET).
During our STAR roundtable with him, Binay noted as strange why a protesting candidate like Roxas – who claimed being cheated – did not even bother to pursue his PET case to the end. Speaking as a lawyer, Binay cited that Roxas’ PET protest was dismissed the minute the LP bet filed with the Comelec his certificate of candidacy to run for the May 9 presidential elections.
Beating him before in the VP elections, Binay exudes confidence he can beat Roxas again on one-on-one basis for the presidency.
For that matter, Binay believes he would win over the rest of the pack in the coming presidential race.
Likewise, Binay remains optimistic despite results of pre-poll surveys, his vice presidential runningmate, Sen. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan would defy the odds like he did when he first ran as VP in 2010. Like Binay, Honasan is also the most senior among the six vice presidential bets.
It was only Binay among the presidential candidates who came to support his runningmate in the Comelec-sanctioned vice presidential debate held at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila last Sunday.
Like the presidential debate, fireworks and cruel words were exchanged between and among the VP candidates. But this should be seriously examined by voters because we often have a tendency to value style over substance – or in Filipino, porma over plataporma.
The respectful demeanor of Honasan as well as of Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero stood out during the Veep debate. Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, runningmate of Duterte, came out like an attack dog with his usual brash and wanton accusations.
Escudero, for example, surprised many by refusing to be dragged into the back-and-forth tirades between Senate colleagues Cayetano and Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. After all, Escudero is a champion debater and it was thought that the format lent itself to his strengths as a great communicator.
Escudero was mostly a quiet observer while Marcos and Cayetano were trading barbs on corruption and fighting over who was the real running mate of Duterte. Ironically, both Marcos and Cayetano belong to Nacionalista Party (NP) which did not field official presidential and vice presidential candidates. Cayetano, Marcos and another NP, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV thus are all running as independent bets.
Escudero, the official vice presidential runningmate of Poe, is also an independent candidate. Trillanes and his Magdalo carry Poe as their presidential standard bearer.
Escudero chose to highlight his own accomplishments and strengths instead of attacking other candidates. He cited his track record in fighting corruption, like his authorship of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill they approved at the Senate but which the LP-controlled House of Representatives failed to act on.
He merely corrected fellow Bicolano, LP vice presidential bet Rep. Leni Robredo when the latter claimed her version of the FOI was better than his. A gentleman to the letter, Escudero just stuck to the facts and avoided the name-calling that marred the debate.
That may not have caught the attention of the voting public, but it should. Because the irony is that the man who had the least to say that day probably did so knowing that his track record speaks more eloquently than he ever could.
Hopefully, the voters would focus more on what our presidential and VP candidates have accomplished, rather than how well they excelled in the televised debate. Talk, after all, is cheap.
Beating him before in the VP elections, Binay exudes confidence he can beat Roxas again on one- on- one basis for the presidency.